Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Unions Fight Own Members!

Officials from the TGWU, Amicus and the GMB are backing the Jaguar car company rather than their own members in a pay dispute!

Workers at Halewood in Merseyside, Castle Bromwich in Birmingham and Browns Lane and Whitley in Coventry have been offered a 4% pay rise, balanced against changes in working practices and 'flexibility' - for which read workers bending over backwards to make money for their employers.

This deal was rejected by 2,101 votes (53%) to 1,878 (47%) on Friday, but trade union officials are refusing to accept this verdict.After meetings on Monday, a spokesman for the T&G said: "The negotiators still felt the company's offer was one they could recommend.

"So further and more detailed consultations will take place with shop stewards in the plants."

This is yet another betrayal by trade union leadership, and workers must refuse to back down in the fight for decent wages and working conditions. All of us have to organise democratically in our workplaces and neighbourhoods to combat the capitalist class, because elected 'representatives' are never going to do it for us.